Anyone do year-round?

[EmmysMama]

This is way, way early since DD is only 18m but I've been thinking about it too much. Time to ask for input!

I was thinking about how with my dad's work schedule (working 14 days offshore and then home for 7) and us being in PS, once I started school (at 3), I was with my father 2 days each month. Three weekends every month, he was gone. During 5 of his 7 days off, I was gone. That blew my mind. No wonder I'm not close to him! I never saw him!

DH has the same schedule, and as long as he works in the oil industry, he probably always will. So it's not a stretch to look ahead 5 years and see the same situation.

So that's what I'm thinking of ... homeschooling on a 2-weeks-on, 1-week-off basic schedule, all year. Adding an extra week off twice a year when DH takes his vacation weeks. Maybe another here and there. It would actually make a lot of things easier, since we shop and make appointments/outings/visits on the same schedule too. I wouldn't be trying to keep things up during that hectic week when we get everything done for the whole month!

Do any of you do this, keeping up the same routine year-round? How does it work out for you?

[pigpokey]

We just had a thread on this generally.

I find with my K and 1st students, more than 2 days off from reading and math is not a good idea. They backslide. However, it does not take as long as you think to do lessons, particularly if you do year round, as many of us do.

[theretohere]

We school year round, but we never take that long off reading and math. Everything else can come and go, though. If you ditch reading and math for more then a few days when they are little and just learning they forget a lot. If you keep lessons in each at about 10 minutes, it really doesn't interfere with anything.

[EmmysMama]

Huh, I did a search and didn't see it! I'll try again. Thanks.

[pigpokey]

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...830&highlight=

[Holiztic]

I think simply homeschooling is really the difference between what you had and what DD will have!

Your schedule sounds fine to me, but I think you won't even need to "follow" it per se and she'll still have great time with her Dad!

[chfriend]

We learn all the time. The only difference in the summer is more outside time and my older dd attends camps at her choosing.

[Needle in the Hay]

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can do it exactly how you want.

[AngelBee]

We school year round. That way we can take time off at any point. I have summers almost totally off from work, so we get alot done then. I am super busy Oct-Feb so we do less than.

Works great for my family

[Momma Aimee]

the joy of homeschoing is doing what fits your family.

I think that you may be surprised to find that even If you are "in school" the week DH is home, it won't be like when you went away to school all day when your dad was home.

DH might do some of the school with her (or all the kdis if you have more). Also even a "full day of school" in the first few years will be so much shorter than a day at public school --

I think Homeschooling is a great option for families with less than standard schdules

My Dh travles a lot -- sometimes for a month or more at a time -- homeschooling will really help us.

[prairiebird]

Yeah, I posted a bit about this idea a little while ago, and I think someone linked it up there. I'm still trying to decide on what to do, actually. But I think it's one of those things where you get to evaluate your own family life and homeschool your kids in a way that kind of fits it. And then you can change it when it doesn't work, over and over again if you have to! I think that's the draw for me.

It is something I've thought of a lot. I also didn't see where you are from- is it an option in your location? We just have to do 180 days of 'school', but we don't have to actually report it or anything. I have a friend that cannot do year round (or actually, she does in a general sense, but she has to get her core math and language arts notes/tests in during the time allotted) because of her state requirements. So she just super concentrates on certain subjects during the winter before she hast to report.

[Lovenest]

Originally Posted by Needle in the Hay

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can do it exactly how you want.

Yeah to that! That is why homeschooling is so wonderful, you do what suits your child and family.

[EviesMom]

We always do a little reading time during the day, and DD reads to me, DH, or little brother at bedtime. She tends to do a math worksheet while I'm making breakfast, and we always have art projects going. Those basically cover the stuff that happens every day, and I think just that use of the skills is plenty for her as a K child.

We do units that have more focused content, and these we do 1 that runs 3 weeks or so and then do a 2 week break. She's still learning on break, we're just not sitting down with a dedicated time to look at a particular topic. I was going to take the whole month of December off from those, but we were slowed down on the schedule with a great-grandmother's death and other issues, so I think we'll finish this unit a bit into December.